Brooklyn to Boozers: Stop Drinking and Go to Bed!

The local community board representing Prospect Heights and Crown Heights is telling new liquor-license applicants that they won’t be approved unless they consent to closing by midnight on weekdays, and DNAinfo reports that this is causing potential new bar owners to balk. “When presented with limited hours, you’re reducing your gross income 10 to 20 percent,” the owner of Freddy’s in South Slope, who wanted to open a new spot on Washington Avenue, told the website. The community board argues that theirs is at root a residential neighborhood, so it can’t just keep approving new latenightlife spots. Weekday drinkers argue that they’re the bread-and-butter of the bar business, which is the bread-and-butter of the local economy, and that they don’t want to go home even if they can’t stay here. This struggle is representative of similar battles across the borough. [photo]